Who would’ve thought that taking the Pokémon franchise and placing it on a smartphone would be just the push the series needed to be a hit among fans worldwide? Pokémon GO is one of the most popular mobile games of all time, whether people think it’s good or not. The simple idea of capturing creatures in the real world and training them to outperform friends is just the kind of thing that captivated young players back on the Game Boy. Now, the formula has found its way to a new audience.
Those who play the game are mostly focused on having the strongest Pokémon on their team. That way, they can take over gyms and conquer raid battles with relative ease. However, in the quest to become the strongest trainer, it’s important to know that not all Pokémon are created equally.
Regardless of how high the CP can get or what sorts of IVs they have, some Pokémon are better than others. Period. However, Niantic has brought it to the point where a select set of Pokémon are objectively stronger than the rest, leading to the same several creatures popping up in gyms. If players are lucky enough to get one of these on their team, then they’re set for a while. On the other hand, there are some Pokémon that are much too weak to make an impact.
Pokémon GO has a wide range of Pokémon, so we’re taking a look at 20 strong Pokémon that practically break the game (and 10 who are ridiculously weak).
30 Strong: Deoxys
Legendary Pokémon are a hot item in Pokémon GO. Not only are they extremely hard to capture, making collectors want them, but they are also extremely powerful, which appeals to trainers focused on battles. Deoxys is one of the newest legendaries to make its presence in the game, and it boasts the highest attack stat out of any other creature that came before it. Good luck trying to catch one, though, as it only appears in 5-star raid battles. Bring your friends.
29 Strong: Mewtwo
Mewtwo is a clone of Mew and created to be the world’s strongest Pokémon. Fitting to the origin of its creation, Mewtwo is one of the best Pokémon in Pokémon GO. It has balanced yet impressive stats across the board, making it capable of dealing serious amounts of damage while still knowing how to take a punch. It also has a varied move pool that allows it to learn fighting and even ghost-type attacks, which gives it significantly more coverage.
28 Weak: Shuckle
Shuckle may have one of the highest defense stats in Pokémon GO, but that alone doesn’t make a good fighter. Shuckle’s other stats are severely lacking, meaning that its defense is the only thing that keeps it going. Furthermore, its attack stat is so low that it won’t do much. Couple that with a weakness to Water-type moves, and it becomes a sitting duck that can last just a few turns longer than other Pokémon near it in the tier list.
27 Strong: Rayquaza
Rayquaza is one of the strongest Pokémon in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, so it makes sense that it would be just as potent in Pokémon GO. Like the rest of the legendary Pokémon, it can only be obtained in a raid battle, but the effort is worth it. The dragon type is invaluable (especially while Gen VI Pokemon have yet to be introduced to the game). Furthermore, Rayquaza’s incredible stats allow it to hit fast and hit hard, destroying any opponent with ease.
26 Strong: Kyogre
Perhaps the best Pokémon in the game, Kyogre is native to the Hoenn region and has made a massive splash in Pokémon GO. The reason it’s so good has everything to do with its stats. Not only does its max CP nearly reach 5000, but it’s other stats are more than capable in battle. Kyogre, being a water type, also has excellent coverage of several different types in the game. Furthermore, its ability to learn dragon, ice, and Electric-type attacks make it a serious threat.
25 Weak: Smeargle
Smeargle was introduced in Gen II and wasn’t known to be a particularly powerful Pokémon then. It’s not very good in Pokémon GO either. The only interesting part of Smeargle is its ability to paint with its tail, but that does it no good in the heat of battle. Being a completely normal type with no extra attacks to learn, Smeargle isn’t strong against any other type, but is weak against fighting attacks. Couple that with pitiful stats, and Smeargle will never make it to a serious team.
24 Strong: Groudon
Close in both power and stats to Kyogre, Groudon is the water legendary’s counterpart, more associated with the land. It can learn a nice variety of moves, but its ground typing does leave it open to more Pokémon than Kyogre. That said, Groudon is still a massive force, learning powerful attacks like Earthquake and Solar Beam. As is the case with most of Pokémon GO’s best creatures, Groudon also has stats that would make any opposing trainer shake in their boots.
23 Strong: Blissey
Chansey was already a Pokémon that knew how to take a hit, which made it a popular choice for defending gyms. Blissey functions the same way, except it’s much better. Having the highest HP stat in the game, Blissey can outlast just about any other Pokémon in battle. Its other stats aren’t that bad either, allowing Blissey to typically beat its opponent just through sheer durability. Being able to learn a Fairy-type move along the way doesn’t hurt it either.
22 Weak: Shedinja
Without the aid of Pokémon abilities, it seemed that Shedinja was doomed unless it was given any noticeable buffs. Unfortunately, it’s lack of Wonder Guard did little to help its HP. Shedinja has an extremely basic health stat, leading it to often get knocked out by any attack that is strong against it. Without a proper move pool to deal damage back, Shedinja is often removed from the battle before it has a chance to do anything. It’s more useful in the main games.
21 Strong: Slaking
Slaking was one of the strongest Pokémon introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. Despite having an ability that only allowed it to attack every other turn, it had a massive attack stat to help it dish out serious damage. The same rings true in Pokémon GO. Slaking can only deal damage with its charged attack, but if it doesn’t get knocked out in time, it deals a lot of damage. This is further bolstered by Slaking’s impressive stats that keep it in the battle long enough to use a few attacks.
20 Strong: Raikou
If a trainer wanted to make a name for themselves solely by challenging other gyms to take over, then Raikou is one of the best options. Being one of the most effective attacking Pokémon in the entire game, there aren’t many options when fighting this Pokémon. It manages to have better strength and stamina than another electric-type legendary Pokémon, while still having access to some impressive moves that give it an edge in battle. This one is also a bit easier to obtain in the game, being available through research tasks.
19 Weak: Ditto
Ditto has always been a Pokémon that sounded amazing on paper but was left underwhelming by its execution. The big deterrent for using a Ditto is that Transform takes up a turn, giving the opponent a free hit. Furthermore, Ditto doesn’t have the proper stat potential to deal any serious damage to anyone. Even if it were to take the form of a much stronger Pokemon, it would lose because of giving up a turn and not having the right stats to support its play style.
18 Strong: Snorlax
One of the best Pokémon to defend gyms with was and still is Snorlax. Before Blissey, this was the Pokémon used for soaking up hits and keeping teams in control of their gyms. Even now, Snorlax has impressive attack stats that allow it to dish out great damage while still being one of the toughest to take down. It might be a little bit weaker than Blissey, but that doesn’t mean that Snorlax is weak. Even now, Snorlax remains a solid pick in Pokémon GO.
17 Strong: Ho-Oh
Ho-Oh is a Gen II legendary that made its way to Pokémon GO. The frustrating part for people that want to collect this one is that it was only in raid battles for a few weeks. To find one, it becomes a serious waiting game. It’s a darn shame because Ho-Oh has an impressive attack stat, but also has the defense to back it up, being able to last in battle long enough to use its special Sacred Fire attack. It’s possible that other fire types could be used more than it later, but it’s still an extremely viable pick.
16 Weak: Luvdisc
The greatest achievement that Luvdisc has to its name is the fact that it’s not quite as bad as Magikarp or Feebas, both of whom are made more desirable by their evolutions. Luvdisc is a Pokémon that wasn’t useful in Ruby and Sapphire and it certainly isn’t useful in Pokémon GO. Is has awfully low stats, including a CP count that never gets high enough to make Luvdisc a threat. It doesn’t evolve either, meaning that there are few reasons to capture this one.
15 Strong: Metagross
Metagross was one of the best Pokémon in Ruby and Sapphire, sporting great stats, typing, and attacks that made it a common pick for those playing the games. In Pokémon GO, a similar story is told. Metagross may be a difficult Pokémon to come by, but the work is worth it. Its steel and psychic typing make it resistant to several common types, which is enhanced by its defensive stats. Metagross also has great attack, which, combined with its wide move pool, make it a no-brainer to use.
14 Strong: Salamence
Salamence was one of two pseudo-legendary Pokémon introduced in Gen III along with Metagross. As such, it remains one of the strongest Pokémon in the game. In Pokémon GO, Salamence has great stats across the board that allow it to deal a lot of damage. It is probably the third-best dragon type in the entire game, but that still makes it a deadly creature on anyone’s team. Salamence has some quick and powerful moves that can easily wipe through most opponents.
13 Weak: Nosepass
Nosepass is a rock Pokémon that doesn’t evolve until Gen IV. Even then, it still might not be very good. Its type means that it’s weak to several common types in the game. At the same time, Nosepass doesn’t have access to any decent moves to get the job done in battle. Even if it did, Nosepass doesn’t sport any useful stats to give it an advantage against its opponents. There are baby Pokémon that have better stats than Nosepass, which is downright sad.
12 Strong: Tyranitar
Tyranitar is the only pseudo-legendary from Gen II, but it certainly lives up to its title. Tyranitar is a beast, boasting powerful stats and a decent move pool to give it an edge against its opponents. While its Dark and Rock typing to make it vulnerable to a lot of Pokémon, Tyranitar can still dish out a lot of damage before getting knocked out. Furthermore, Tyranitar is easily the best choice when going against powerful psychic Pokémon, which is necessary during raid battles with Mewtwo or Deoxys.
11 Strong: Latios/Latias
Latios and Latias are a duo that compliments each other nicely. Both being dragon and psychic types, they have access to some unique moves that are useful in battle. Latios is more of an attacker, having the strength to stand against some of the stronger Pokémon in the game. Latias, on the other hand, is focused more on bulk and has a better chance of soaking up damage. Overall, the two have great stats that allow them to be on the higher end of the game.
